Apparatus for processing shrimp and related shellfish

ABSTRACT

This apparatus is designed to take shrimp and related shellfish which have been freshly caught from the ocean and seas and process them on board a trawler whereby they may be immediately preserved in edible form. The apparatus includes a means for setting individual shellfish to excise the heads thereof, sequentially orienting the deheaded shellfish for conveyance to and through a deveining step, and sequentially deshelling the shellfish and thereafter grading them for storage.

United States Patent Jones, Jr.

[ 51 Nov. 28, 1972 [s41 APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING 1 SHRIMP AND RELATEDSHELLFISH [72] Inventor: John M. Jones, Jr., 206' Grubb Street,Hertford, NC.

[22] Filed: Feb. 26, 1971 2'11 Appl.No.:11 9,206

[52] U.S. Cl. ..17/71, 17/48, 17/73 [51] Int. Cl ..A22c 29/00 [58] Fieldof Search ..17/71, 72,73, 63,48

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,546,414 3/1951 Abbott..17/73 2,784,450 3/1957 Jonsson ..17/48 2,799,643 7/1957 Walker ..17/63Jones, Jr ..17/48 Willis ..17/73 Primary Examiner-Lucie H. LaudenslagerAttorney-Mason, Fenwick & Lawrence ABSTRACT This apparatus is designedto take shrimp and related shellfish which have been freshly caught fromthe ocean and seas and process them on board a trawler whereby they maybe immediately preserved in edible form. The apparatus includes a meansfor setting individual shellfish to excise the heads thereof,sequentially orienting the deheaded shellfish for conveyance to andthrough a deveining step, and sequentially deshelling the shellfish andthereafter grading them for storage.

11 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTEI'Jnnvza um I 3,703 746 INVENTOR yawn1 70/755 .7?

ATTORNEYS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Earlier, John M. Jones, Sr.devised a means for deveining shrimp as represented by U.S. Pat. No.2,684,500. That concept and others have since been substantiallymodified to. result in the system described hereinafter, which isespecially suited to utility on board fishing trawlers. Previously, thesteps of sorting, deheading, deveining, shelling, grading, packaging,storing and the like could only be performed manually by the ship hands.These practices are so burdensome that they are never performed on boardthe trawler, to the detriment of the useful life of the shellfish instorage and prior to consumption.

This patent application relates to the apparatus which is disclosed inmy earlier U.S. Pat. No. 3,528,125 granted Sept. 15,, 1970, claimingonly a method of processing shrimp and related shellfish.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The field of the invention is such as to includeall shellfish having anatomy in conformation to that of the shrimp viz':seabobs, rock shrimp, Alaskan shrimp and the like. 1

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation of theinvention, portions thereof being cut away to reveal the basic conveyorand related deveining and deshelling components;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of invention showing the deheading andconveying portion of the system;

FIG. 3 is a view of the invention taken along the lines DESCRIPTION OFTHE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The device comprises aportable unit 100 havingremovable sides l110' with handles 1l2l12', sides 120l20 and removabletop 130 overlapping in part the initial conveying system 200.

Referring now to FIG. 1, the device 100 comprises essentially threelevels 200, 300 and 400, the

-mechanisms of each level being generally represented by the seriesindicated.

Referring to the uppermost conveyor level 200, and to FIGS. 1 and 2,within the top cover is disposed a conveyor system 210 having links towhich are secured independently movable shellfish troughs 212. Therespective troughs are adapted to receive shellfish dropped on thedelivery plate or chute 132 and to transport them'generally in aclockwise direction immediately adjacent the graduated positioner slideplate r the respective troughs simultaneously as the heads are 214 andimmediately beneath the path defined by the horizontally disposed spraycomponent 220. Drive for the system is coupled from motor 500 by pulley218 and take-off wheel 218'. Attached to the cover 130 is a spring steelplate holder 134, which is adapted to secure the positioned shellfishinto the seat formed by severed from the shellfish by action of thedeheader blade 230. In practice, the shellfish are individually droppedon to the delivery plate 132 (head to left), and transported clockwisevia the troughs 212, whereupon the respective shellfish are positionedheadfirst by the action of the sprays 220 against the horizontallygraduated slide plate 214. The slide plate is disposed at an angle andhas shellfish head engaging grooves 216-, adapted to effect correcttransverse positioning of shellfish of varying size with respect to thedeheader 230. The sprays 220, being directed to the base of therespective troughs, are discontinued at a position which issubstantially adjacent the axis of the deheader 230. In the vicinity ofthe delivery chute 240, the action of the deheaded shell fish intransfer is augmented by the water spray. 250, directed adjustablyangularly downwardly with respect to the chute-240. The fixed troughunderlying the conveyor, represented by the numeral 242, provides a basefor the chute 240 and is sloped in the direction of the water spray 250to dispose of the water accumulated by, the various sprays 220 and 250used in positioning and in dislodging the shellfish from the conveyor.

The second treatment level represented by the series 300 is best shownin FIGS. 1 and 3. The level 300 of the embodiment shown includes theturntable housing 310 having the turntable 312 disposed centrallythereof. The turntable is preferably radially grooved to provide afriction surface for the shellfish. An arcuately coaxial spray element314 comprises in the right-hand-most portion at least five sprays whichare adapted to jet against the circular walls of the housing 310,keeping the shellfish on their right sides and preventing the backsthereof from sliding toward the center of the turntable or dropping ontheir left sides. Moving by the turntable in a counterclockwisedirection, as shown, the shrimp are engaged by other plural sprays 316emanating from the center of the turntable outwardly to the sides, whichare adapted to increase in force by a peculiar sizing of the aperturesforming the spray nozzle. The apertures are preferably square andincrease in magnitude counterclockwise from the area generally indicatedas at 10 o'clock to the area generally indicated as approximately 4oclock. These sprays 316 are adapted to force the shrimp to stand ontheir feet and to enter the feeding chute 320 headless end first,whereby the spring elements 322 engage the back of the shrimp, forcingthe legs thereof into the v-shaped cavity of the transfer wheel 324.Thus the respective shellfish are urged against the transfer wheel feetin, back out, to be received by the conveyor 336 feet up, back down, andsecured therein for compression conveyance beyond that point. Then theshellfish are depressed downwardly thereafter by the compressor spring328 (FIG. 1), prior to further adjustable compression by the wheel 340.The wheel 340 is mounted in lever engagement via the adjustable pin 344with a corresponding lever element 346 seating with pivot 346' thesevering and deveining blade 350 into corresponding registry,irrespective of size of the shrimp. Thus, the compression wheel 340 andsevering wheel 350, although they may be adjusted axially at anysuitable distance, are adapted to ride upward and downward of theconveyor 336 depending upon the size of the shrimp passing thereunder.As the wheel 340 rides up over a large shellfish, the deveiner wheel350, would move upward proportionately by action of connecting lever 342pivoting at 342' and pin 344 coupled to lever element 346 supportingdeveiner wheel 350. The conveyor has suitable tension means 334 -334'indicated as pulleys intermediate the sheave ends of the respectiveconveyor belts 336 on either side of the track. The conveyor is set onpulleys 330-332 and driven by drive 318, connected in turn to the motor500. Following the cleaning station indicated by the compressor 340 andsevering wheel 350, the shrimp are transported by the compressionengagement of opposed belts 336 to the transfer station generallyindicated at 360 including tined wheel 360a and deflector 362. Thistined wheel 360a is adapted for tine engagement with the shrimp to pullthem from the abraded compression action of the conveyor belts 336,whereby the shells are removed from the body and the meat transferredarcuately downwardly through the chute 364 to be forcibly ejected by thefixed plow prong 368 and thereafter to be engaged by the grader conveyor400 hereinafter described.

Referring now to the grading system 400 appearing on the third andlowermost level from the top and shown particularly in FIGS. 1, 4, 5 and6 respectively, the now-deshelled and deveined meat has been transferredthrough the arcuate funnel 364 by means of the tined wheel 360a andremoved therefrom by the fixed plow prong 368 for deposit, irrespectiveof size, on the angularly divergent belts represented by the numeral424. Adjustment .to the belts 424 is efiected through correspondingelements 422, found adjacent the pulleys 420'. The pulleys 420 arealigned with the chute axis of the component 364, to receive in movingcontact the respective meats. It will be noted that the opposed beltsheaves 420 are spatially separated transversely a greater distance thanthe corresponding sheaves 420, thereby yielding an increased gap in theconveyor system components to deposit the respective shrimp size forsize in the grading chutes 430, 432, 434, 436 and 438 respectively forfreezing and storage thereafter. The chutes are foraminous at 440 torelieve water spray residue.

The foregoing description being by way of illustration only, theinvention is limited by the appended claims alone.

What is claimed is:

1. In the dressing of non-graded shellfish, portable apparatusincluding:

A. a first shellfish conveyor having deposit and removal ends and fluidmeans associated therewith to position the shellfish for deheading;

B. shellfish deheading means aligned adjacent the first conveyor;

C. deheaded shellfish transfer means adjacent the removal end of thefirst conveyor, whereby the shellfish may be positioned for deveiningconveyance;

D. second conveying means securing the oriented shellfish feet up backdown; and

E. a compression-deveining station in the path of the second conveyingmeans;

F. a shellfish deshelling-transfer station in the path of the secondconveying means; and

G. third conveying means adapted to grading of the dressed shellfish.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the respective conveying meansare superposed.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 including fixed shellfish gradingmeans adjacent the first conveyor, said fixed shellfish grading meansbeing adapted to transverse positioning of the shellfish for deheadingthereof.

4. Shellfish according to claim 1 wherein the first conveyor comprisestransverse plural troughs, and the fluid means include plural jetslongitudinally disposed in overlying relationship to the troughs, to jetthe shellfish and shift same progressively transversely of said troughs.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 including fixed shellfish gradingmeans adjacent the first conveyor, said grading means being adapted totransverse positioning of the shellfish for deheading thereof andwherein the first conveyor comprises transverse plural troughs, thefiuid means include plural jets longitudinally disposed in overlyingrelationship to said troughs, to shift the shellfish progressivelytransversely of said troughs.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the second conveying meanscomprises a pair of belts engaging opposite sides of the shrimp andtransporting the same by compression engagement to saidcompression-deveining station and said deshelling-transfer station, thelatter station including a tined wheel having tines for impaling theshrimp bodies transferred thereto and transferring them arcuatelydownwardly, and said conveyor belts exerting abraded compression actionon the shrimp when they reach said tined wheel and are impaled thereonwhereby the shells are removed from the body as the shrimp meat istransferred arcuately downwardly by the tined wheel.

7. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the deshelling transferstation comprises forcible meat ejection means aligned with said secondconveying means.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the third conveying meanscomprises complemental divergent compression confinement means.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8 further comprising plural gradingchutes disposed in alignment with said third conveying means forgravitational deposit of the graded, dressed shellfish from saidconveyor.

10. Apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the respective conveyingmeans are superposed, the first being above the second and the secondabove the third.

11. Apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the respective conveyingmeans are superposed, the first being above the second and the secondabove the third and wherein said grading chutes are disposedsubstantially beneath the third said conveying means.

1. In the dressing of non-graded shellfish, portable apparatus including: A. a first shellfish conveyor having deposit and removal ends and fluid means associated therewith to position the shellfish for deheading; B. shellfish deheading means aligned adjacent the first conveyor; C. deheaded shellfish transfer means adjacent the removal end of the first conveyor, whereby the shellfish may be positioned for deveining conveyance; D. second conveying means securing the oriented shellfish feet up - back down; and E. a compression-deveining station in the path of the second conveying means; F. a shellfish deshelling-transfer station in the path of the second conveying means; and G. third conveying means adapted to grading of the dressed shellfish.
 2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the respective conveying means are superposed.
 3. Apparatus according to claim 1 including fixed shellfish grading means adjacent the first conveyor, said fixed shellfish grading means being adapted to transverse positioning of the shellfish for deheading thereof.
 4. Shellfish according to claim 1 wherein the first conveyor comprises transverse plural troughs, and the fluid means include plural jets longitudinally disposed in overlying relationship to the troughs, to jet the shellfish and shift same progressively transversely of said troughs.
 5. Apparatus according to claim 1 including fixed shellfish grading means adjacent the first conveyor, said grading means being adapted to transverse positioning of the shellfish for deheading thereof and wherein the first conveyor comprises transverse plural troughs, the fluid means include plural jets longitudinally disposed in overlying relationship to said troughs, to shift the shellfish progressively transversely of said troughs.
 6. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the second conveying means compriseS a pair of belts engaging opposite sides of the shrimp and transporting the same by compression engagement to said compression-deveining station and said deshelling-transfer station, the latter station including a tined wheel having tines for impaling the shrimp bodies transferred thereto and transferring them arcuately downwardly, and said conveyor belts exerting abraded compression action on the shrimp when they reach said tined wheel and are impaled thereon whereby the shells are removed from the body as the shrimp meat is transferred arcuately downwardly by the tined wheel.
 7. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the deshelling transfer station comprises forcible meat ejection means aligned with said second conveying means.
 8. Apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the third conveying means comprises complemental divergent compression confinement means.
 9. Apparatus according to claim 8 further comprising plural grading chutes disposed in alignment with said third conveying means for gravitational deposit of the graded, dressed shellfish from said conveyor.
 10. Apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the respective conveying means are superposed, the first being above the second and the second above the third.
 11. Apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the respective conveying means are superposed, the first being above the second and the second above the third and wherein said grading chutes are disposed substantially beneath the third said conveying means. 